How do zoos help wildlife conservation
- Mary Schettler
- Jun 10, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 15, 2022
How do you view your local zoo? Is it just a novel place to see wild animals on a whim? Is it a way to spend an afternoon to you? Well, many people don't realize that zoos play a critical part in wildlife conservation efforts. Reputable zoos donate a lot of their earnings or organize fundraisers to support organizations in their fights for conservation (different conservation organizations will focus on a certain area of conservation). How do you find a reputable zoo?
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the zoos and aquariums experience. They are an independent accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums across the world. Zoos with accreditation by the AZA assure the public that they meet the highest standards for animal care and welfare.
About 10% of the 2,800 animal exhibitors licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture are AZA-accredited. The AZA's Accreditation Commission is a panel of experienced and trained experts in all subjects ranging from animal welfare, veterinary practices, and operations. They evaluate if a zoo meets its standards, only those that meet those standards can receive accreditation. Even after receiving the accreditation, institutions are required to undergo evaluations to renew their accreditation every five years. This ensures that a zoo is continuously holding to the high standards of AZA philosophies.
Zoos that have this accreditation will have the logo of the AZA on their websites, advertisements, and zoo doors. AZA zoos are all across the country. Together they work through varying programs to save animals and help in the conservation of habitats.
Endangered animals
Endangered animals are a big reason for the existence of zoos. The outside world has a nasty habit of pushing into the grounds of habitats and taking resources. Zoos across the world work to keep endangered species safe from the threat of extinction. Through the efforts of zoo conservation, endangered species populations can make a comeback in a safe environment. Let's take a look at how zoos have helped Amur Leopards.
The Amur Leopard is the world's rarest big cat. A subspecies of leopard that resides in the far east regions of Russia and China. The latest census revealed that there are around 120 adult leopards left in the wild. Because of their beautiful, spotted coats, they are especially prized among illegal poachers. These cats have almost been hunted to extinction. How can zoos help them?
I'll tell you how; by implementing conservation breeding programs for the Amur Leopards (also known as captive breeding). These efforts are carried out to endangered species within zoos to avoid extinction which is regulated by zoos and other specialized divisions.
The main concern of a breeding program including endangered species is maintaining genetic diversity. Inbreeding can occur with small populations, which leads to health problems that can impact species survival. This is why breeding decisions are carefully managed to ensure that genetic variation is possible.
One program within the AZA called the Species Survival Plan (SSP) is responsible for evaluating the genetic potential and managing the reproduction efforts of all the endangered animals within zoos. For example, they'll take samples of DNA of all Amur Leopards that live in zoos and review what "pairs" would continue to ensure genetic diversity within the gene pool. Once matches have been made and the zoos notified, work will be underway to move the "pairs" to a single zoo (either where one or the other lives). The zoo personnel then will begin to execute a breeding plan for them and observe their behavior to see identify if the plan is successful (temperaments play a part in the first meeting and over time, it will either work or not). If it doesn't work out between the pair, the SSP will reevaluate their breeding pair options.
Donations and Conservation
Conservation is a priority of all AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. But most zoos can't directly help with the conservation of certain areas. So instead they show their support by donating to conservation efforts to help hundreds of animal species.
In order to support Amur Leopards, donations go to programs and organizations in the Amur Leopard's habitat that have been established to raise awareness about these leopards' plight. Anti-poaching brigades (on-site rangers) and legislation have been implemented to give protect to leopards.
For these formed organizations, they have a specific goal of within conservation that can be supported by donations. Some examples of organizations are the Snow Leopard Trust, the International Crane Foundation, and the Gorilla Doctors. Each of these organizations has a focus they dedicate themselves to. Donations help zoos in one part of the world, like America, could donate to the conservation of Amur Leopards in China. Long-distance support but it's very much needed.
Public Education
Zoos have education opportunities in place to educate the millions of visitors that come each year. They speak to them about endangered species and their relating conservation issues. These zoo educators bridge the gap between the public and their connection to nature. Visitors get to learn about the wildlife they are physically seeing, and the educators enhance their understanding by teaching about the need to conserve wildlife habitats. The best outcome a zoo could hope for is having each and every visitor feel inspired to contribute to conservation efforts.
Zoos are quite grand, aren't they? A bit more important than a simple day visit, huh? They've taken the responsibility upon themselves to be advocates and supporters of conservation. You may not realize it but in a day visit, you could walk away with a greater understanding of rainforest animals and the factors that affect their living status. Zoos work hard to preserve the wild world and all of its inhabitants. As we decide to go to the zoo, take it upon yourselves to learn a little bit more about the world than you did before.
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